Marion Jones
Ahh .... no you're not. Here's why. It's become more and more prevalent that professional athletes test positive for drugs. Virtually all of them deny the results of the drug test. In the athlete's mind the only thing wrong is they may lose millions of dollars in salary and endorsements because of a faulty drug screen. I have a comment about that. Bull Shit. The real problem is you got caught by a reliable drug screen, you are guilty, and you are lying about it. Okay, nothing is a 100%. But this is pretty damn close.
Oh yes, I've heard the defense lawyers bemoaning the terrible process at the screening lab. I've heard that someone knows someone who was "dirty" even though they hadn't used. Or the supposed victim states they were just touching it, or it was second hand smoke, or someone put it in their drink. A second Bull Shit. It would work to put a pill in someones drink, but cocaine would just dissolve and marijuana would turn the drink green, you would have to be shit faced not to see it. Who would waste good cocaine by putting it in your water when it won't even get you high? Second hand smoke? A toxicologist told me you would have to be in a phone booth with someone smoking for 24 hours straight to have enough in your system to be high. Touching it. Seriously. You think you tested positive because you touched it. Even if for some cosmic reason that were true, as a famous athlete what are you doing at a place where they are touching drugs?
Then there are the cut-off levels. Every drug has a cut off value where you are allowed to have a certain amount in your system and it's still a negative test. That way if your above the cut off, you got high or illegally enhanced your performance.
Moreover, if there's a problem at the lab, how come you tested positive for your drug of choice? No matter whether it's a drug that gets you high or a steroid. If weeds your thing why didn't a faulty screen come up positive for opiates. No. It came up positive for your favorite substance. There are legal drugs which can give a false positive. But in any drug screen usually you are asked to list any drugs you are currently taking. I did have a client whose whole history was one of cocaine use. He tested positive for barbiturates. A drug I'd never even seen on a drug screen. Sure enough, he was on an anti-seizure medication which could give a false positive for barbiturates. I considered his test to be negative. You cannot have a false positive for cocaine and false positives for marijuana are very rare. So if you're positive for either of those, you are really screwed.
So ... sorry Josh Gordon, you got high. We can argue that pot should be an allowable substance in the NFL and I'd probably agree with you. You may even get your suspension reduced if the NFL changes their drug policy. Good for you. It doesn't change the fact that you lied. And Gordon was willing to carry that lie all the way to the courthouse. He said he may sue the NFL. It reminds me of clients who were on probation and would say, "I'm going to talk to the Judge about this." Yea ... you go ahead ... let me know how that turns out. So Josh. Go ahead and sue the NFL. Let me know how that turns out.
Today came a report that Gordon has decided not to sue the NFL. Good move Josh.
Lance Armstrong denied his positive drug screens blaming everyone else but his dog. Of course, it turns out in the end that no one forced the medications down his throat. He finally admitted he had been lying for years.
Marion Jones had been adamant that she never used performance enhancing drugs until the owner of Balco said he had personally given her shots of the stuff. All of a sudden she's on TV giving a tearful apology for lying.
My favorite one comes from French tennis star Richard Gasquet. He said he tested positive for cocaine because he kissed a girl at a bar who had been using. Sorry Richard, that wouldn't even come close to the cut-off value unless it was a really really really long kiss. Furthermore, her face would have looked like she stuck her head in a bucket full of cocaine. Who would kiss that?
I spent 12 years as a drug and alcohol counselor and many of my client's denied they had used. 99.9 %, all but one (I call this the Roger Clemens scenario) eventually recanted and admitted they had been dishonest. And that's okay. Part of addiction is dishonesty. I expected my client's to lie and didn't become upset when they exhibited one of the symptoms of their disease. I used to tell them I won't discharge you for using, that just means you need to be here. But I will discharge you for lying, because then I can't help you.
I'm not saying that athletes who test positive are addicts. Hell I don't know. But when it comes to drug screens often athletes have the same initial behavior as addicts.
I understand why athletes lie. I also understand why they come clean. Having a conscious nagging at you is like repeatedly getting kicked in the ass. So my suggestion is if you don't want to lose a bunch of money, get suspended by your sport, and have to lie to everyone, don't use drugs. If you can't stop, get help.